24 hours removed from a busy trade deadline, many impacted teams will take the floor with their new players on deck. Considering anyone a pickup in competitive leagues is fraught with risk given the uncertainty surrounding the rotations. The Memphis Grizzlies are perhaps the team posing the most questions, including who will start alongside Mike Conley. Delon Wright will likely find himself in a great position to be able to flirt with standard league value, however, a lot is dependant on the allocation of playing time. I will look ahead to all nine games, focusing on the fringe players taking to the court.
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Fantasy Basketball Fringe
Players to add
- Cody Zeller
- Ivan Rabb
Players to stream
- Patty Mills
- Marco Belinelli
- Davis Bertans
- David Nwaba
- Mario Hezonja
- Ivica Zubac
- Kenrich Williams
- Darius Miller
- Cheick Diallo
- Delon Wright
- Nerlens Noel
- Iman Shumpert
San Antonio Spurs @ Utah Jazz
Spurs
- Bryn Forbes (41%) – Drop: Forbes basically pouts up the same numbers every night, owning one of the more predictable fantasy games around. His ceiling is limited and despite his three-point abilities, there are likely more attractive options available.
- Pau Gasol (36%) – Drop
- Jakob Poeltl (34%) – Drop
- Patty Mills (29%) – Stream: Mills handed out eight assists in the blowout loss to Portland, but added only seven points. Until Derrick White returns, Mills remains a solid streaming option in most competitive leagues.
- Marco Belinelli (28%) – Stream: Much like the other streaming options around him, Belinelli struggled to find any rhythm in his last outing but should still be viewed as a handy three-point specialist.
- Davis Bertans (25%) – Stream: Bertans played just 24 minutes as the starter Thursday, ending with two points and five rebounds. It appears as though he will remain in the starting lineup until Derrick White returns which should afford him short-term value.
Jazz
- Kyle Korver (17%) – Watch: Korver has only hit a combined five triples over his past four games and there are likely more appealing three-point streamers around in your leagues.
- Royce O’Neale (10%) – Watch
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Indiana Pacers
Cavaliers
- Ante Zizic (41%) – Drop: Based on Friday’s game, it appears Zizic’s time as a standard league pickup could be over. Kevin Love returned, playing just six minutes, and Marquese Chriss played 23 minutes off the bench. Zizic played just 16 minutes and that would seem likely to trend down as soon as Love works his way back to full health.
- Marquese Chriss (17%) – Watch: Chriss played 23 minutes Friday, finishing with 13 points and eight rebounds. This was a good matchup for Chriss with the Wizards running a lot of small-ball lineups. Chriss appears as though he is going to be a part of rotation although Kevin Love did play just six minutes.
- Brandon Knight (13%) – Drop
- David Nwaba (12%) – Stream: Nwaba started for the Cavaliers on Friday, ending the loss with 17 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals. He possesses a nice fantasy game and if he can stick as a part of the opening five, he could have streaming value.
- Matthew Dellavedova (7%) – Drop
Pacers
- Cory Joseph (27%) – Watch: Joseph has now scored 13 points in two straight games, adding 13 rebounds and 10 assists. It appears as though the Pacers are going to sign Wes Matthews who was released by the Knicks. The move could impact Joseph’s playing time moving forward, leaving him as a deep league asset only, at least until the rotations settle down.
- Aaron Holiday (18%) – Watch
- Kyle O’Quinn (11%) – Drop
Charlotte Hornets @ Atlanta Hawks
Hornets
- Cody Zeller (42%) – Add: Zeller’s minutes have increased in both games since returning from injury, as has his subsequent production. He is never going to set the world on fire with his offensive numbers but he has the ability to rack up boards, steals, and blocks while hitting the bulk of his shots. If you need a big man, Zeller could be the answer you are looking for.
- Miles Bridges (32%) – Drop
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (20%) – Drop
- Tony Parker (14%) – Drop
- Bismack Biyombo (11%) – Drop
Hawks
- Alex Len (45%) – Watch: Len played just six minutes Thursday, as he continues to trend in the wrong direction. Dewayne Dedmon was not moved prior to the trade deadline and that does not bode well for Len’s projections. He is still someone to monitor in case the Hawks decide to go in another direction as the season winds down.
- Jeremy Lin (44%) – Watch
- DeAndre Bembry (33%) – Watch
- Omari Spellman (17%) – Watch: Much like Alex Len, Spellman’s upside hinges on the playing time of Dewayne Dedmon. Spellman is still a player to watch moving forward but has no real value as of right now.
Toronto Raptors @ New York Knicks
Raptors
- OG Anunoby (30%) – Watch: With Delon Wright out of the picture, Anunoby could see extra run moving forward. At this stage, he is simply a player to keep an eye on.
- Norman Powell (12%) – Watch: Much like Anunoby, Powell could benefit from Delon Wright being traded and probably has the more fantasy-friendly game when compared to Anunoby.
Knicks
- Mario Hezonja (47%) – Stream: Hezonja put up just eight points and seven rebounds Friday, however, still managed to play 32 minutes in the loss. The change in personnel does not appear to have hampered Hezonja at all leaving him a worthwhile pickup in competitive leagues, albeit a back-end addition.
- Allonzo Trier (32%) – Drop
- Damyean Dotson (21%) – Drop: Dotson moved into the starting lineup Friday, ending the game with 10 points in 24 minutes. Aside from a couple of nice efforts, Dotson has been disappointing of late and is not worth adding in most standard formats.
- Luke Kornet (19%) – Drop
Los Angeles Clippers @ Boston Celtics
Clippers
- Ivica Zubac (47%) – Stream: Zubac will likely move into the starting lineup, replacing Marcin Gortat who has been waived. Zubac should be able to have a more consistent role than the one he had with the Lakers. That being said, Montrezl Harrell still figures to be a big part of the rotation and puts a cap on the value of Zubac.
- JaMychal Green (37%) – Watch: Greens role for the Clippers remains unclear and will likely be uncertain until after a few games. He has the ability to collect rebounds and points but would need minutes in the mid-twenties to be considered for standard leagues.
- Landry Shamet (17%) – Drop: Shamet should make his Clippers debut Saturday but will find it difficult to carve out a big enough role to warrant a regular roster spot in competitive leagues.
- Wilson Chandler (17%) – Drop: Much like the other players traded to the Clippers, Chandler’s role moving forward is clouded. Owners should just see how things play out over the next few games before making any hasty decisions.
Celtics
- Aron Baynes (12%) – Drop
- Daniel Theis (10%) – Drop
Washington Wizards @ Chicago Bulls
Wizards
- Sam Dekker (9%) – Drop
- Jordan McRae (8%) – Drop
- Ian Mahinmi (5%) – Drop
- Chasson Randle (4%) – Drop
Bulls
- Ryan Arcidiacono (14%) – Drop
- Wayne Selden Jr. (13%) – Watch: Selden moved to the bench, playing 24 minutes in the victory over the Nets. The Bulls have a number of backcourt players to choose from on a nightly basis which is going to make rostering any of them quite difficult.
- Shaquille Harrison (13%) – Drop
- Robin Lopez (13%) – Drop: Lopez appears likely to remain with the Bulls, and should hold onto the starting center spot. That being said, it is unlikely he will play big minutes and will act as more of a mentor to the younger players on the team. He could have value in deeper formats but that is where it ends for Lopez.
- Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (5%) – Watch
New Orleans Pelicans @ Memphis Grizzlies
Pelicans
- E’Twaun Moore (41%) – Drop
- Kenrich Williams (32%) – Stream: Anthony Davis returned to the lineup Friday, however, Williams remained with the starting unit. He finished with 19 points in 37 minutes and appears as though he is going to be a big part of the rotation moving forward. He is a little risky to call an add at this stage but streaming him could prove beneficial.
- Stanley Johnson (23%) – Drop: Johnson played 20 minutes in his debut for the Pelicans, producing much the same to what he had been doing in Detroit.
- Darius Miller (20%) – Stream: Miller was uninspiring Friday, hitting just one three-pointer, compiling five points in 30 minutes. The playing time was there and owners should still consider him a strong perimeter streaming option.
- Frank Jackson (15%) – Watch
- Cheick Diallo (15%) – Stream: Anthony Davis is a chance to sit Saturday’s game, and with Jahlil Okafor potentially missing his second straight game, Diallo could have an opportunity to move into the starting lineup. Owners will likely have to wait until closer to tipoff for confirmation but there could be an opportunity there.
- Tim Frazier (11%) – Watch: Frazier flirted with a triple-double Friday, moving into the starting lineup to begin the second half. He had been struggling prior to this game and both he and Frank Jackson are tough players to roster in competitive formats.
Grizzlies
- Ivan Rabb (37%) – Add: Marc Gasol is gone and Jonas Valanciunas appears likely to come in as the starting center. That being said, he will likely play fewer minutes than Gasol which should afford Rabb a larger role moving forward. Rabb has shown the ability to produce at a standard league level and is a nice speculative pickup if you need big man numbers.
- Avery Bradley (36%) – Watch: Bradley was traded to the Grizzlies on Thursday, moving into what could be a less favorable situation. There is a chance he moves into the starting lineup but the playing time could fall below 30 minutes which would rule him out of standard league consideration.
- Delon Wright (27%) – Stream: Wright could potentially find himself in a career-defining spot after being traded from the Raptors. It is unclear exactly where he will fit into the rotation but his ability to play multiple positions could certainly increase his upside. There is a chance he starts next to Mike Conley, although Avery Bradley could also take that spot. Nonetheless, Wright is worth picking up in most formats given his stat-stuffing capabilities.
- Bruno Caboclo (10%) – Watch: Caboclo scored 16 points Thursday, adding three triples and five boards. Where he fits in the rotation is yet to be determined, making him a tough player to pick up outside of deeper formats right now.
- Joakim Noah (9%) – Drop
- Jevon Carter (9%) – Watch
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Houston Rockets
Thunder
- Nerlens Noel (33%) – Stream: Noel saw additional run Thursday with Steven Adams in early foul trouble. He finished with six points and three steals, continuing to produce across his stronger categories.
- Terrance Ferguson (16%) – Watch
- Patrick Patterson (8%) – Drop
Rockets
- Austin Rivers (22%) – Drop
- Iman Shumpert (17%) – Stream: Shumpert is a good fit for his new team and is a chance to move straight into the starting lineup. He provides wing defense and another three-point threat and owners could take a flier on him to see how things play out.
- Gerald Green (14%) – Drop: Green ended with 25 points including four triples in the blowout victory over the Kings. The playing time was up with the game moving into garbage time very early. Outside of two impressive shooting performances, Green has hit just one three-pointer in six of his past eight games.
Orlando Magic @ Milwaukee Bucks
Magic
- Jerian Grant (17%) – Drop
- Wes Iwundu (6%) – Drop
- Khem Birch (6%) – Drop
Bucks
- George Hill (30%) – Drop
- Ersan Ilyasova (19%) – Drop
- D.J. Wilson (11%) – Drop
- Sterling Brown (10%) – Drop
- Pat Connaughton (7%) – Drop
Got a question about today’s fantasy basketball fringe report? Hit Adam up on twitter @adamking91 or give a shout out to @Fantrax
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